Automatic grave curtain



July 16, 1940. G. E. SMITH AUTOMATIC GRAVE CURTAIN Filed July 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 me/who@ July 16, 1940 G. E. SMITH y 2,208,479

AUTOMATIC GRAVE CURTAIN Filed July 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 16, 194

UNITED 'STATES iiATENTQOFFICE i y 2,208,479` l.

AUToMA'mo 'GRAVE CURTAIN Guy E. Smith, Mangum, Okla.

Applicata@ July 23, weasel-iai N. A220,964

y `This invention comprehends certain new and 2 Claims.

useful improvements in undertakers appliances or accessories, and relates particularly to an 1mproved automatic grave curtain designed to close the topf of an otherwise open grave preparatory to` the committal services, so that an unbroken surface will Vbe presented to the `view of thefuneral party as they approachrthe grave and thus avoid the harrowing sight which is so likely to aiectthemsensibilities and emotions of the funeral party as'theyv assemble at, the place of burial. V

- The principal s object of the invention is a device of this character comprising a supporting mechanism or apparatus consisting `of two complemental framework sections lupon which an artificial grass mat is adapted to be placed, such supporting `sections being initially in a horizontal position over or upon the mouth of the grave to support the mat in such a position as to givethe appearance of unbrokenturf, and the parts being so constructed and arranged that when the casket or Vault is placed ,upon the llowering mechanism andthe trip of the latter is released topermit the casket, for example, slowlycto lower into the grave, `the two sections of lthe framework will automatically and vquickly swing downward against the side walls of the grave until the casket vhas been lowered toY apredetermned degree or level, whereupon at a predetermined time, when the casketl shall have passed below the then lower free sides of theframework sections,` mechanism `will be` automatically put into operation to raise the sections again above the casket and against presentthe appearance of unbroken turf across the entire expanse of the otherwise open grave mouth.

, With this and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and' operations of the different parts as will be'hereinafter more specifically described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings inwhich K Y Figure 1 is a' top planview of my automatic grave curtain, the lowering mechanism and the artificial ygrass mat being omitted for the sake of clearness; s

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional 4View, the section 'being taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and showing the necessary parts of the casket lowering mechanism correlated to the present invention; l

` Fig. 3is `a fragmentary'sectional" View,'the section being taken substantially `on theline 33 of Fig. 1 but with the loweringmechanism also illustrated asl in Fig. `2;

' Fig. 4.- is a sectional view substantially` on the line 4 4` of Fig- 3.

Referring toA theA drawings, the numeral I0 5 designates four base blocks which are adapted to be positioned at the four corners of a grave opening designated generally I I, said base blocks being designed to support the. casket or vault lowering mechanism hereinafter more specifically 1,01, referred to and also to support the two complemental framework sections I2 upon which an articial grass mat is intended to be laid for the purpose hereinbefore mentioned.` As these two sections ofthe supporting framework of my 1,5... automatic grave curtain are substantially identical` in construction, a detailed description of` one will manifestly suice for both.

At its outercorners each framework section l2 isiformedwith sockets I3 designed to receive 20 trunnions I4 which project inward from the base blocks I0, as best illustrated in Fig. 1, whereby` .theL section I2 is pivotally mounted to swing from its outer edge about a horizontal axis and thus extend in a horizontal plane coincident with the 2li plane of the mouth'of the grave opening, as well as downward into a vertical position against the side Wall of the grave, which last mentioned po. sition is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. l

'Ihe section I2, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1,` 3,()y consistslof an open or latticed framework made in twoy main lparts which are adjustably con-- nected together for longitudinal extension according `to :the length of the grave with which the device isassociated, by means of rods I5 in 35 one part` `telescoping into an adjacent part at the outer or axialedge thereof, the parts being heldk in` adjusted position by means of set screws jI6.

Each of the Vtwo parts of each section I2 is also 4,0r formed with a transverselyY elongated opening II intermediate of its ends for a purposev shortly -to be described, andin each of the openings I 'I isV a pairof gates I8 pivoted upon transversely ex-r tending rods I9 and provided With counterweights 4,5` 20 tending tohold the gates closed or in the horizontalposition `indicated in Fig. 1. These open-` ings II and the gates I 8 that are pivotally mounted"therein are coincident with the straps 2| of the casket lowering mechanism, as illustrated in 5()4 Fig. 3, and the purpose and function of these gates will be hereinafter -more specifically de-l scribed in connection with the operation of the entire apparatus.

' o'ming now tothe casket lowering mechanism,y 55

porting straps are adapted to be wound and to be unwound in the lowering operation, and in carry- .ng out my invention I mount sleeves 23 upon the shafts 22, being preferably held thereon by means of set screws 24, said sleeves 23 being provided with flanges 25 to which cables 26 are connected at one end, as for example, by means of hooks 2'I. At their relatively free ends the cables have connected to them weights 28 in order to keep them properly taut or under the requisite tension during operation, and immediately above their lower or relatively free ends the cables 26 are provided with stops 29 designed to engage with eyes 30 thru which the cables pass, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the eyes 30 being connected to the end bars 3| of the frame sections I2.

Having thus described the construction and general arrangementsof the parts of my improved automatic grave curtain, I shall now describe the operation of the device.

Initially and whenl ready for use, the frame sections I2 are pivotally mounted upon and between the base blocks I positioned at the corners of the otherwise Vopenv grave and a grass mat preferably'formed in two equal sections and illustrated only in a conventional way, as at 32 in Fig. 2,' is laid upon the frame sections I2 so as substantially to cover and close the otherwise open mouth of the grave and thus present what appears to be an unbroken expanse of turf when the funeral party and the casket or vault approach the grave for the' interment,

I Above the grass mat but manifestly not interfering with the 'view of it, is the open framework lowering mechanisrm including the longitudinally extending shafts 22 with the supporting straps 2| wound thereon. When the casket, forexample, is laid uponv the straps 2| andthe trip (not shown) of the conventional lowering mechanism is actuated, the `straps 2|, due to the weightof the casket, will unwind as the shafts "1f 22 rotate, and in this initial movement of the casket from the dotted line position indicated by the reference numeral 33 in Fig. 2, toA a point where the casket would otherwise contact with the grass mat upon the frame sections I2, the

cables 26 will have unwound from the position illustrated in Fig: 2 to the extended position illustrated in Fig. 3 thus allowing the frame sections sleeves 23 until the stops 29 come into contact with the eyes 30, but at that time the continued downward movement of the casket will have brought the latter to the plane indicated by B in Fig. 4, the top of the casket having passed A' i free below or beyond the relatively free side edges of the frame sections I2, and at this time when the casket shall have effectively passed the then vertically disposed frame'sections, the continued movement lof the shafts 22 of the lowering mechanism and the accompanying continued winding ofthe cables 26 upon the sleeves 23accompaniedby the engagement of the stops 29 with theeyes 30, will cause .the frame sections I2 to swingsupwardly again until, when the casket has been completely lowered into the grave, the frame sections I 2, supporting the articial grass mat or sections of mat, will have again assumed a completely horizontal position again closing the mouth of the grave and hiding the casket from View.

When the frame sections I2 move laterally downward, as hereinbefore described, obviously the gates I8 will not come into play, but when the frame sections are returned or are being returned to their uppermost positions, manifestly the gates |8 will yield in order to permit thestraps 2|, then kin a substantially vertical position, to pass between them and when they have vpassed between them the counterweights with which the gates are supplied, will automatically swing the gates again to their normal horizontal positions.

It will be remembered that at the outset of the specification I vmentioned that my improved automatic grave curtain was adapted for use in lowering not only caskets but vaults into a grave. In connection with vaults,"the outer corners of the frame sections 4I2 are formed with the openings I3 to receive the trunnions I4, but in connection with caskets a movement-of less width is sufficient, and accordingly for use with caskets lI form the end bars 3|"of the frame sections I2 inward of the corners, with' corresponding openings I3' for the reception of the trunnions I4, and in suchl event the base blocks I0 are, of course, moved nearer together and the eyes 30 are utilized instead of the eyes 30 that are spaced further apart.` In other words, when a casket is being handled, theeyes that are nearer together and the pivot points that are nearer together are utilizedyand thelowering mechanism is so arranged that the'pair of cables 26 which position Vat that end of the framework shown to the right in Fig. 1, whereas ifa vault is being handled, the eyes 30 (at the-left hand in Fig. 1) and the outermost pivots are used, the lowering mechanism being turned end for end as these circumstances may require.

Preferably the outerand inner side edges or frame members of the frame sections I2 are `provided with snap fasteners I2 for use with complemental fasteners in detachably connecting the sections of the artificial* Vgrass mat tothe supporting framework.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple, durable and efficient construction of automatic grave curtain which may be effectively used to shield or close the otherwise open mouth of a grave so that as hereinbefore mentioned, an apparently unbroken expanse of turf will be presented to the veyes of the funeral party approaching the place of burial with the vault or casket, andno open grave will be seen. Q

While the accompanying drawings illustrate what I believe to bel the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and that 'various changes may be made in the construction, arrangements and proportions of the different parts without departingfrom the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim: I

1. The combination with a casket lowering mechanism of the class described, including rotary shafts and casket or vaultk supporting straps adapted to wind upon said shafts, of pivoted covering frames extending from opposite rsides over the mouth of agrave tombe lowered thereinto, and counterweighted gates carried by said frames in the vertical planes of said straps closing openings in the frames through which the straps pass.

2. The combination with a casket lowering mechanism of the class described, including rotary shafts and casket or Vault supporting straps adapted to wind upon the shafts, of a pair of frames extending from opposite `sides over the mouth of a grave, means pivotally supporting each frame at its ends for vertical movement on a horizontal axis extending along the outer side thereof whereby the frames may be lowered gates in each opening, each gate being pivotally 5 supported at a side of the opening whereby the two gates in each opening may be moved into the plane of the frame, and balance Weights connected with the gates of each pair and functioning to maintain said gates in closed position 10 in the openings.

` GUY E. SMITH. 

